Tucson Amtrak Shooting: DEA Agent Shot And Killed

TUCSON, AZ — A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent was shot and killed and another DEA special agent and a Tucson Police officer were shot and injured on a train stopped at the Tucson Amtrak station Monday morning.

One suspect was shot and killed on the train, police said during a news conference, and another was detained.

The DEA special agent who survived was in critical condition at Banner University Medical Center and the Tucson Police officer was in stable condition, officials said. Police did not release the names of anyone involved in the shooting.

“I just want to reflect on the terrible tragedy that this is, not just for the DEA obviously, but for everyone in law enforcement,”said Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus. “It’s really horrific and we’re all just coming to terms with just how terrible a loss this is.”

No injuries were reported to the 137 passengers and 11 crew members onboard the train where the shooting took place, according to Jason Abrams, public relations manager for Amtrak.

The shooting happened onboard Amtrak's Sunset Limited, headed from Los Angeles to New Orleans. It arrived at the Tucson station at 7:40 a.m., Abrams said.

The incident began around 8 a.m. Monday as agents with the Regional Counter Narcotics Alliance, including DEA agents and Tucson Police, boarded the train for a routine check for guns and drugs, according to Magnus.

While officers worked to detain one person seated on the second level of the train, another person shot at the officers with a handgun, Magnus said.

A Tucson Police officer on the platform heard the shots, ran onboard the train and was shot, Magnus said.

After exchanging fire with task force members, the suspect accused of shooting at police barricaded himself in a bathroom on the train's lower deck, Magnus said. That man was later pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

“I also want to reflect on the really heroic actions of the officers at the scene who literally ran towards the danger, into the car where there was an active shooting situation going on,” Magnus said.

Evan Courtney, of Matoon, Illinois was in the lounge car of the Sunset Limited at the Tucson Amtrak Station this morning when, "people came running through yelling 'shots fired!' I grabbed my backpack and ran," he told Patch over direct message on Twitter.

Courtney said that he and other passengers huddled together and saw SWAT out the window, crouched behind barriers. About 15 minutes later, police told Courtney and the other passengers to get off the train and run out of harm's way, he said.

“I just think it’s kind of incredible that there weren’t other people that were hurt,” Magnus said. “But we’re completely, so saddened by the loss of the officer.”

Police were asking everyone to avoid the area between N. 4th Avenue and N. 6th Avenue on Toole Avenue, in the area of the downtown Amtrak station.

Stay up to date with the latest on the developing situation with free real-time breaking news alerts for Tucson.